Greater Los Angeles Region: Projects and Developments

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

How California is turning drainage canals back to rivers

Under recently approved legislation, long stretches of the flood control channel's banks will have trails, parks and natural areas, and portions of the river itself will be cleared of boulders, low-hanging limbs and other entanglements to open the waterway to kayaking and rafting.

Under the legislation by state Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), the Santa Ana River Conservancy Program will operate within the state Coastal Conservancy to improve conditions for wildlife and provide amenities for hiking, biking, picnicking, fishing, horseback riding and other activities in one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation.

Correa's measure was modeled after a 17-year-old Coastal Conservancy program dedicated to improving public access to open space and wildlife habitat in the Bay Area.

The Santa Ana, formally known in Orange County as Flood Control Channel EO 1, has numerous hidden, shady places that support a remarkably rich variety of species.

The 2,150 acres of wetlands behind Prado Dam near the Orange-Riverside county border, for instance, comprise a labyrinth of channels, ponds and forests. Despite a development boom in neighboring Chino, Corona and Norco, the wetlands area is still a haven for threatened and federally endangered species including red-sided garter snakes and least Bell's vireos.

High on Correa's wish list of recreational projects is construction of 30 miles of trail to complete a 110-mile-long trail from Big Bear Lake to Huntington Beach.

Ultimately, the trail could link a network of river-bottom parks. The city of Redlands, for example, plans to develop riverside green space beneath the San Bernardino Mountains to attract hikers and bicyclists, some of whom would shop and dine in its nearby historic downtown district.

http://www.latimes.com/local/califor...027-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm among owners of new L.A. pro soccer team

The newest professional sports franchise in Southern California doesn't have a name, a home, any players or even a coach.

But the fledgling Major League Soccer team does have a large and impressive ownership group with enough star power to make it stand out even in Hollywood, where the team’s chief investors walked a red carpet after Thursday’s introductory news conference.

Among the investors are former Lakers great Magic Johnson; baseball All-Star Nomar Garciaparra and his wife, women’s soccer standout Mia Hamm; and self-help author Tony Robbins.

“You have to look at them as a foundational group. They bring a whole set of skills that is extraordinarily unique,” said Mandalay Entertainment Chief Executive Peter Guber, co-owner of the Dodgers and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors who will be the new soccer team’s executive chairman.

The group also is exceptionally wealthy; it broke the MLS record when it paid just more than $100 million to join the league as an expansion team in 2017. It also committed to spending at least another $150 million to build a soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of about 25,000.

But there are almost as many questions surrounding the franchise as there are owners — and there are 22 of those.

Although the owners referred to the team as the Los Angeles Football Club, they said that was just a working title and not a permanent name. Same with the red-and-black color scheme, one that has already been overdone in MLS.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sports...030-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

At $195 million, Beverly Hills estate sets U.S. high-price mark

A Gated 25-acre estate in Beverly Hills has come on the market at $195 million, making it the most expensive home to be publicly listed for sale in the U.S.

The seller is real estate entrepreneur Jeff Greene, who owns properties in Florida, New York and California.

The Mediterranean-style villa, called Palazzo di Amore, sits on a knoll behind three sets of gates. Reached by a quarter-mile-long tree-lined drive, the mansion is approached through a vineyard and has canyon and cityscape views. Inside, the two-story marble entry features two sweeping staircases.

http://www.latimes.com/business/real...106-story.html

[dragonsky]

• Video Link
Air Jordan's New Basketball Hangar

This magical basketball heaven isn't always going to be private. Inroads onto the property begin with four unbelievably lucky local high schools (Chino Hills, Loyola, Redondo Union, JW North), who will be allowed to come in and play their games on His Airness' court. Because this brand is founded on cool-looking, pricey shoes, open-to-the-public retail space is also in the cards for the facility. Until the gates open to the rest of us, enjoy this walk-through of the enormous space.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/1...all_hangar.php

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Hollywood is giving tech start-ups the star treatment

Southern California saw the fastest rate of start-up creation of any major U.S. region in the first half of 2014, according to data collected from AngelList by Upfront Ventures, the region's most active venture capital firm with more than $100 million invested in the last three years.

Combined, Los Angeles and Orange counties are on pace this year to receive $2.15 billion — their most since 2001, according to the National Venture Capital Assn.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...123-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Google buys 12 acres in Playa Vista, vastly expands presence in L.A.

Google Inc. is making a bold move to expand in Southern California, the nation's nexus of technology and entertainment.

The tech titan has spent nearly $120 million on 12 vacant acres next to a historic hangar where aviator Howard Hughes built his famous "Spruce Goose" airplane in the Playa Vista neighborhood near Marina del Rey. The land is zoned for nearly 900,000 square feet of commercial space that could house offices or studios, vastly more room than Google now occupies in a handful of buildings in Los Angeles County.

Google is also expected to lease the Hughes hangar built in 1943. The 319,000-square-foot building has recently housed soundstages for movie and television production.

"This is phenomenal news for the Westside and for the Los Angeles economy," said City Councilman Mike Bonin, who represents the Playa Vista area. "It really makes and brands Playa Vista as the tech and innovation capital of Los Angeles."

http://www.latimes.com/business/real...203-story.html

Originally Posted by San Jose Mercury New

'Silicon Beach': Tech boom hits Los Angeles
By RYAN NAKASHIMA and MICHAEL LIEDTKE Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- So long Silicon Valley. These days entrepreneurs and engineers are flocking to a place better known for wave surfing than Web surfing. Amid the palm trees and purple sunsets of the Southern California coastline, techies have built "Silicon Beach."

In the past few years Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and YouTube have opened offices on the west side of Los Angeles from Santa Monica south to Venice and Playa del Rey. They are joined by hundreds of startups including Hulu, Demand Media and Snapchat, which nixed a $3 billion takeover offer from Facebook. Major Hollywood players like The Walt Disney Co. and Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. have launched startup accelerators to help local tech entrepreneurs. The city of Los Angeles even hired its first chief technology officer, former Qualcomm executive Peter Marx, earlier this year.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/...ts-los-angeles

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by USA Today

Instagram's top 10 most-tagged destinations of 2014

See Instagram's top 10 geotagged locations of 2014 below.

1. Disneyland: Anaheim, California



2. Dodger Stadium: Los Angeles, California

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel...gram/19826297/

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

Here's the Jaw-Dropping Plan to Grove-ify Downtown Pac Pal
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/1...wn_pac_pal.php

[dragonsky]

Los Angeles Galaxy defeat New England Revolution to win MLS Cup



The LA Galaxy won a record fifth MLS Cup on Sunday, as they defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 in the 2014 MLS Cup Final at StubHub Center following added extra time.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sports...207-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Alhambra to get $130-million shopping and housing complex

Shea Properties' plan calls for knocking down all the old buildings on the 10.5-acre site at the southeast corner of the intersection except for the former Mervyn's. The old department store structure will be renovated and incorporated into a 140,000-square-foot retail complex with shops, restaurants and a specialty grocery store.

The project also calls for a four-story apartment complex with 260 luxury units that will be wrapped around a garage. New residents and stores should help perk up local street life, Friedman said.

Residents will have use of a clubhouse, gym, pool and spa. The apartments will include mostly one- and two-bedroom units, along with a few studios and three-bedroom units.

Apartments on the south side of the property facing East Bay State Street will have classic brownstone features with well-defined cornices and arched entryways. Around the corner on Garfield, the architecture will transition to a contemporary design, using the materials found in the commercial portion of the complex.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...211-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Playa Vista office complex gets makeover, draws creative tenants

A large office complex in Playa Vista that has been vacant since it was completed during the last real estate downturn is finally roaring to life with a dramatic $8-million makeover intended to enhance its appeal to firms in creative industries.

The unusual move of breaking apart and reconfiguring a 4-year-old office complex appears to be paying off for new landlord Clarion Partners, which just signed two big tenants and is in final negotiations with a third.

Clarion said it is renting space in the complex it now calls i|o at Playa Vista to video media firm Fullscreen Inc. and media investment company GroupM.

The new leases and dramatic property makeover underline the emergence of Playa Vista as a choice address for businesses in technology, media and entertainment.

Internet titan Google Inc. this month bought nearly 12 acres at Playa Vista that is zoned for new offices or studios. Google is also expected to lease the massive 1943 hangar where aviator Howard Hughes built his "Spruce Goose" airplane.

http://www.latimes.com/business/real...218-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

California's high housing costs drive out poor, middle-income workers

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...101-story.html

[dragonsky]

No tax dollars or public funding will be used for the construction of the City of Champions Revitalization Project, including the new stadium. Indeed, the revised project is expected to create a long-term revenue source for the City of Inglewood that is substantially larger than estimates from the prior plan.

The expanded project also will create meaningful employment opportunities for Inglewood residents and businesses. Specifically, the project adheres to the provisions from the City of Inglewood’s 2009 approval, which established a goal of at least 30% participation of minority/disadvantaged business enterprises in the construction of the project and adds a goal of hiring qualified Inglewood residents for at least 35% of long-term, post-construction jobs at the property.

Incorporating the 60 neighboring acres acquired by TKG into the Hollywood Park Specific Plan provides an opportunity to create a cohesive central district in Inglewood. This new project will blend a sports and entertainment district into the core components of the original plan, including new residential neighborhoods, public open space, parks and a lifestyle retail area.

Signature gathering will begin soon for an initiative that would place the City of Champions Revitalization Project on the Inglewood municipal ballot in 2015.

As described in the ballot measure, the 298-acre project will include a stadium of up to 80,000 seats and a performance venue of up to 6,000 seats while reconfiguring the previously approved Hollywood Park plan for up to 890,000 square feet of retail, 780,000 square feet of office space, 2,500 new residential units, a 300-room hotel, and 25 acres of public parks, playgrounds, open space and pedestrian and bicycle access.

The stadium authorized by the ballot measure will be designed by HKS, Inc., one of the world’s leading firms for the design of sports and entertainment complexes. A successful ballot measure would shorten the timeframe for Inglewood’s approval of a stadium, and would mean that professional sports could return to Inglewood in 2018.

http://stockbridgerealestate.com/201...-in-inglewood/
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la...105-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Hollywood Park developers ready to build football stadium without team

The developers of Hollywood Park on Monday underscored their commitment to building an NFL-caliber football stadium in Inglewood regardless of whether the St. Louis Rams agree to play there.

“We are not dependent on that commitment in advance,” said Chris Meany of Hollywood Park Land Co., which Sunday announced its intention to build an 80,000-seat stadium between the Forum concert hall and the former site of the Hollywood Park horse racing track.

“We are proposing to build it on spec,” Meany said at a press conference in Inglewood. “We are prepared to start even if we haven't finalized the details of what that team would be.”

Meany described the stadium as a multipurpose facility designed to host football games, soccer games or possibly Olympic events.

“We will have a sports and entertainment complex here to host whatever sports are ultimately going to be in L.A,” he said.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...105-story.html

[dragonsky]

• Video Link

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival smashed another record today. The festival, which has its twin editions set for April 10-12 and April 17-19 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, sold out in less than 40 minutes.

In 2014, Coachella was the top-grossing festival of the year, according to Billboard Boxscore, the concert industry arm of Billboard. It took in more than $78.3 million over its two weekends.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/f...lla-april.html

[dragonsky]

New Pomona College Studio Art Hall

It doesn't have any fixed furniture. It's used variously as a studio, classroom and place for students to hang out; it has polished concrete floors and floor-to-ceiling windows offering dramatic glimpses of the San Gabriel Mountains, which this month are topped with an unusual amount of snow.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...11-column.html

[dragonsky]

Project website:
http://championsinitiative.com/


This location is in a perfect centralized location to many rich neighborhoods in the west LA county.

Originally Posted by NYT

JONES SAYS RAMS CAN MOVE When the St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced plans last week to build an 80,000-seat football stadium near downtown Los Angeles, it raised the specter that he might unilaterally move his team to Southern California.

After his announcement, the N.F.L. reiterated that any team relocation must be approved by at least 24 out of the league’s 32 owners. The N.F.L. controls the Los Angeles market, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has said that any move there must be done in an orderly way.

But in an interview last week, the Dallas Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, said that while he prefers that the owners approve any team moving to Los Angeles, a team could possibly move there without league approval.

“As it would turn out now, apart from the league saying no, you can move there,” he said. “Keep in mind that teams have moved without the permission of the league. They just have.”

Asked if Kroenke could move on his own, Jones said: “He can if the league says he can’t.”

Asked if the N.F.L. preferred to coordinate any relocation, Jones said: “Again, there are just certain things that clubs can do.”

Jones’s comments are bound to stir interest in a murky and emotional process because he is one of the N.F.L.’s most powerful and unconventional owners.

The league said last month that the Rams, the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders would not move to Los Angeles in 2015. But Kroenke has the ability to shift to a year-to-year lease at the Edward Jones Dome, where the Rams play.

That would give him the flexibility to leave St. Louis in the coming years.

“The idea of Stan going ahead and making his announcement was driven by all of the right things,” said Jones, who cited Kroenke’s having a deal for a location and his owning a team with “a great legacy.”

Jones added, “All of that is to me a very positive thing for Los Angeles and for the N.F.L.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/sp...one-share&_r=3

After the 1980 season, Al Davis attempted unsuccessfully to have improvements made to the Oakland Coliseum, specifically the addition of luxury boxes. That year, he signed a memorandum of agreement to move the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles. The move, which required three-fourths approval by league owners, was defeated 22–0 (with five owners abstaining). When Davis tried to move the team anyway, he was blocked by an injunction. In response, the Raiders not only became an active partner in an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (who had recently lost the Los Angeles Rams), but filed an antitrust lawsuit of their own.[9] After the first case was declared a mistrial, in May 1982 a second jury found in favor of Davis and the Los Angeles Coliseum, clearing the way for the move.[10][11][12] With the ruling, the Raiders finally relocated to Los Angeles for the 1982 season to play their home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_Raiders

It seems Chargers, Raiders, and 49ers will abstain from vote on this.

Originally Posted by NBCS

Via the Daily Trojan, speculation has centered on the building that USC football calls home.

Some believe Kroenke will move even without league approval, sparking a potential legal battle but also avoiding (if successful) a potentially enormous relocation fee.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ary-rams-home/

Originally Posted by USAT

L.A. stadium project moving forward with consultant

so far the project has been serious enough to hire a consultant to advise on issues related to the proposed stadium's height and regulations with the Federal Aviation Administration, the project's developer confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The project would require review by the FAA because of its proposed location about three miles from the Los Angeles International Airport and its expected height of about 175 feet. The consultant is Aviation Systems, Inc., according to Chris Meany of Hollywood Park Land Co., the project's developer.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...wood/21777435/

[dragonsky]

Bring Back the Los Angeles Rams
https://www.facebook.com/losangelesrams

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by DS

SilverRock golf resort gets La Quinta go-ahead

When SilverRock Resort in La Quinta is eventually completed, it will be the first large scale golf course resort built in the Coachella Valley in almost three decades.

It is proposed to include a luxury hotel tucked against the mountain overlooking the Arnold Palmer golf course, another nearby lifestyle hotel, a convention center, promenade of shops and retail, a mini-Riverwalk, high-end camping, residential units, hiking trails and a public park.

The company responsible for this resurrection plans to break ground on the $420 million project by about this time next year or in early 2016. It is estimated to generate $53 million in revenue for the city in its first 15 years of operation.

With a development and purchase deal inked – the City Council unanimously approved it Nov. 4 – the company now can start work on design, engineering and infrastructure improvements such as water lines, power facilities and roads.

The entire project site spans 525 acres and includes the current 173 acre golf course and land for a future 18 hole golf course.

"I think it will be something they have never seen before here in the Coachella Valley, both as a destination that will serve a national and international clientele as well as a place where locals will come and think this is a really great place."

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/...inta/19152261/
http://www.silverrock.org/development-overview

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by DS

Major casino developer tapped for downtown plan

The site extends from the corner of Tahquitz Canyon Way and Indian Canyon Drive to corner of Indian Canyon and Amado Road, and east to Calle El Segundo. The Hilton Palm Springs is not included in the master-planning site, according to tribe officials.

It's not yet clear what level of development Agua Caliente has in mind, how many rooms the new hotel will include or if any expansion to the current Spa Casino is envisioned.

"The Tribal Council selected JCJ today. So the master planning process will be getting under way soon and nothing has been set in stone," wrote Kate Anderson, spokeswoman for Agua Caliente, in an email.

The range of the firm's work nationally includes $1 billion in construction value at Foxwoods Resort Casino and the nation's top slot revenue generator, Resorts World Casino New York City.

"JCJ clearly demonstrated their overwhelming desire to work with us on creating a master plan for this site," Tribal Chairman Jeff L. Grubbe said in a statement.

"Creating a master plan will include a dynamic approach that will center around the Agua Caliente hot mineral spring and defining a renewed area around it, transforming the site into a dynamic destination."

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/...town/70109894/
http://www.visionaguacaliente.com/future/